Rose Parade arrests total 23, mostly for public intoxication

PASADENA - Of the 23 arrests along the Tournament of Roses parade route, all but one was for public intoxication, Pasadena police said.

The sole exception, since festivities began Monday evening, was what police described as "a low-grade misdemeanor" arrest for possession of burglary tools that could be used to break into vehicles.

"All of those arrested were adults," a Pasadena police commander told City News Service. "There's been nothing very significant at all, it was all very quiet," he said.

During the game at the Rose Bowl, police made 16 arrests, said Pasadena police Lt. Pete Hettema.

Of those arrests, 15 were for public intoxication and the other was for a misdemeanor violation, Hettema said.

No major injuries were reported among the thousands of people camped along the 5.5-mile route, braving temperatures that dipped into the 30s.

"The weather was on our side, as far as it being cooler this year," said Lisa Derderian of the Pasadena Fire Department. "There were less band members that reported being overheated."

In all, during a reporting period that began at 8 a.m and lasted until 1 p.m., the fire department received 20 calls, in comparison to 60 calls last year. Nine people were transported to area hospitals. Five of those people were unconscious, Derderian said.

"The rest were calls that we usually get," she said.

Like last year, members of the Occupy movement participated with a float. The loosely organized group of demonstrators, frustrated with the stagnant economy and near gridlock in the nation's capital, brought up the rear of the parade with a "Monopoly" float, a riff on the board game in which players try to snatch up real estate and force other players into financial ruin.

Occupy demonstrators turned out in force last year, numbering about 5,000, but did not significantly disrupt the time-honored pageant.

Today's 124th edition of the parade, including 42 floral floats and 23 marching bands and 21 equestrian units, stepped off with famed chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall as grand marshal under the the banner of "Oh, the Places You'll Go!"